BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Kenny Brooks has won nearly 63% of his games since becoming the Virginia Tech women’s basketball coach in 2016. But no victory was sweeter than the one he received Thursday.

Aisha Sheppard scored 18 of her 28 points in overtime to help Virginia Tech upset No. 2 North Carolina State 83-71.

Sheppard hit two of her four 3-pointers in the extra session, and the Hokies (8-7, 3-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) pulled away to beat a Top 5 opponent for the first time since knocking off No. 5 Old Dominion in 1985. Virginia Tech had never beaten an opponent ranked higher than No. 5 in the Associated Press poll.

“You like the sundae, but sometimes the cherry on top is really good, too,” Brooks said. “You don’t know which one is the best. We needed the win. The fact that it was the No. 2-ranked team in the country was the cherry on top.

“Where we were and just the way the season has gone for us, I didn’t care if we were playing the Globetrotters. We needed the win … It feels really good to just be gritty, gutsy, and come through with a big win.”

Camille Hobby led N.C. State (11-1, 6-1) with a career-high 19 points. Hobby’s 3-pointer at the end of regulation tied the game at 57 and sent it to overtime.

The Hokies could have been rattled in that moment after a season in which all seven of their losses have been by 10 points or less. But Brooks had talked with Sheppard earlier about being a better “closer,” and Sheppard delivered.

In overtime, she started the scoring with a 3-pointer, and the Hokies never trailed again. She made 12 of 14 free throws in the extra period.

“I just trusted the work that’s been in and understanding that my coaches trust me to be able to make those decisions,” Sheppard said. “They know I’ve put the work in and that the shots are going to fall. I knew that going in. I was frustrated — don’t get me wrong. But my teammates and my coaches look to me to take those shots, and I’ve just got to make them. I did tonight. That was the difference.”

Elizabeth Kitley added 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Azana Baines had 16 points for Virginia Tech. The Hokies snapped a three-game losing streak.

Playing without All-American Elissa Cunane because of COVID-19 protocols, the Wolfpack had a 16-game winning streak end. “The whole game, they played great defense, and we just didn’t get it done.” NC State coach Wes Moore said. “I’ve got to figure out a way to help our players maybe get better looks and stress a little bit more about how important rebounding and having urgency is.”

 

No. 1 Louisville holds on to beat North Carolina 79-68

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Olivia Cochran scored 14 of her 17 points in the first half to lead top-ranked Louisville, which withstood a late rally to beat North Carolina 79-68 on Thursday night.

The Cardinals (16-0, 9-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) started strong. They made eight of their first 10 shots to take a 21-9 lead in less than six minutes and built a 67-35 lead late in the third quarter.

But Tar Heels (8-6, 3-6) made things interesting with a 17-0 second-half run. They got it down to an eight-point deficit with 1:18 left, but they could not get any closer.

Cochran ended the first half with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the wing to make it 55-30. It was the first trey of the season for the 6-foot-3 freshman.

The Cardinals, who are 16-0 for the second time in school history, built that big lead by going toe-to-toe with one of the conference’s top rebounding (10.7 average margin) and defensive (34.7%) teams. Through three quarters, they shot 53 percent and held a 27-22 edge on the boards.

“We came on the court very ready and just ready to kick some butt,” she said.

But Louisville coach Jeff Walz took the blame for letting UNC back in the contest as he said he had some “bad combinations” on the court. He also didn’t call a time out as the Cardinals went more than six minutes without a basket.

“I was trying to see if they could figure it out and try to come up with a couple of stops,” he said.
UNC lost for the fourth time in their last five games. They’ve also yet to win on the road in four tries this season.

Tar Heels coach Courtney Banghart said she thought Louisville might have sensed an opportunity early in the game thanks to No. 2 N.C. State losing earlier in the evening at Virginia Tech.

“I think they felt like they could have some separation, and they played like in that first quarter, holy moly, and throughout the game,” she said. “Obviously, once we got through the onslaught, we were fine, but that onslaught was a little hard to gather from.”

Petra Holesinska scored a season-best 26 points to lead the Tar Heels.

UNC KNEELS
Before the game, 10 of the 11 Tar Heels players dressed for the game knelt during the playing of the national anthem.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

It hasn’t been easy for Louisville since earning the No. 1 ranking for the first time in school history, but the Cardinals keep winning. With N.C. State, Louisville’s next foe, and UConn losing Thursday, it should give Louisville a firm grasp on that position for another week.

BIG PICTURE

North Carolina: The Tar Heels dug themselves way too deep a hole Thursday night but certainly put a scare into the Cardinals in the final 10 minutes.

Louisville: For nearly three quarters, Louisville looked unbeatable. They shot well and, until the end, outrebounded the Tar Heels. However, they let a 32-point lead get down to single digits in a matter of minutes.

UP NEXT
North Carolina visits Virginia Tech on Sunday afternoon.

Louisville hosts current No. 2 N.C. State on Monday night.